189-Pound Atkins Weight Loss Success Is Fan Of Livin' La Vida Low-Carb

Meet Kent Altena (aka "Bowulf) who has lost 189 pounds since 2003

I received an e-mail today from a man using the name "Bowulf". His real name is Kent Altena and he thanked me for my blog and wanted to share his similar weight loss success on the Atkins lifestyle. Starting out at 419 pounds, he's now down to 230 thanks to low-carb and exercise. Now this is somebody I can relate to!

As a network administrator for a financial services/insurance company, "Bowulf" decided he had enough of the lazy life that he had been leading and knew it was time to lose weight in 2003. Now he's livin la vida low-carb with his wife, "SomberSusie," and FOUR kids. WOW! I know they're proud of their papa!

Send Kent an e-mail to congratulate him on his outstanding weight loss success!

Atkins Success Offering His Advice For A Price

It appears the recent 300-pound Atkins weight loss success story I reported on recently is about to start offering his advice as a service to others who want to learn what he did to lose weight. I received a follow-up e-mail last week from John Smith, but I did not receive this latest e-mail personally.

This latest e-mail from Smith was sent to a select group of people who contacted him:

TO MY FELLOW FRIEND:

I have picked you among 300+ e-mails since I have appeared on T.V. I need your honest opinion yeah or neigh on the following idea, which I am thinking about quickly in the near future.

I am considering starting a club called F.I. G. (Fat is Gone). To join and be apart of the club it will cost $12.50 per month.

My services offered to each club member will be as follows:

24-hour communication with me to talk out any weight related problems and develop a one to one relationship to fight this problem of being overweight together. Sort of a personal touch.

I will be offering myself to be a personal confidant to discuss what is nagging you or kicking your butt enough to keep you in the refrigerator when you do not need to be there.

Because of my weight loss dedication I will provide periodic sample menus of how I have survived and still doing.

Samples of my walking and small exercise ideas.

My goal is to form a huge family of people all walks of life, any age or sex, who will get devoted to one cause: That's once and for all conquer this weight problem.

I will offer phone number, cell number, and computer address to contact me 24 hours a day.

Multiple things we will do together to solve whatever it takes.

If as a member you do not like it, quit and no questions asked. I need response as quick as possible so; I can make a decision based on the majority of 24 people asked. Be sincere, you will not hurt my feelings. Basically the cost will cover the expense of work done and it's a small price to rid us of weight, depression and the nasty pain of being bored. PLMK

Please consider this a direct and final attempt to put us back in control.

John W Smith

PS Remember F.I.G. We will correct the situation and will resolve it together.

I don't know why he doesn't start his own blog like I did, but to each his own. If what he is offering interests you, then you can contact him via e-mail. Let him know "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man" sent you!

Fitness Expert Right About Exercise, Wrong About Low-Carb

This Green Bay Press Gazette story today about a so-called "fitness guru" recommending tips about being heart-healthy just about gave me heartburn!

Joe Piscatella, founder of an organization called The Insitute For Health And Fitness, is traveling around the country lecturing on the topic of "Living Healthy In A Doubleburger.com World."

Offering his own version of getting F.I.T. "the Piscatella way," here is how he breaks it down letter-by-letter:

F — frequency - Exercise three days a week or every other day. Less frequency will show no benefit.

Okay, I agree with that. In fact, I recommend trying to exercise EVERY single day if you really want to see results with your weight loss and fitness goals.

I — intensity - "If you take a walk, you ought to feel like you're running late for a doctor's appointment," Piscatella said.

That's a good way to think of it because it could be literally true. But, as someone who once started out exercising for the first time, I think you should pace yourself and don't wear yourself out too early. Longer and more intense workouts will come the more you do it.

T — time - The 20-minute session that some recommend for an exercise program is the minimum. That doesn't effect much change in weight or cholesterol level. Better to make a 3-mile commitment and walk for 45 minutes.

It's safe to say that you need to invest an ample amount of time in your workout if you want to see results. The government recommends 1 1/2 hours, but I think that's a good goal to shoot for. Attempting 45 minutes per day is not unreasonable and you will actually WANT to increase your time as you get more into shape.

I think I like this fitness guru's workout advice, but let's take a look at the story to see what his nutritional advice looks like.

After nearly dying of heart disease at the age of 32 because of clogged arteries, Piscatella warns people about following "diets" which he describes as "extreme eating."

"Instead of dieting, you’re better off to learn how to eat for the rest of your life and stay physically fit for the rest of your life."

Amen, brother! That's what livin' la vida low-carb has done for me. When I was on a low-fat diet, I constantly felt the wrath of the "diet" and would never have subjected myself to that eating for an entire lifetime. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! But that's what is so appealing about low-carb. Combined with daily exercise, it really is a lifestyle that you can choose to enjoy permanent weight maintenance and healthy living.

UH-OH! As much as I enjoyed his comments up until now, Piscatella warns that low-carb programs such as Atkins, The Zone, and Fit For Life have "led to some severe health consequences for some people."

What are the "severe health consequences" of these low-carb plans if you are following them as recommended? None! These low-carb eating methods have been proven to be safe, effective alternatives to the low-fat/low-calorie diets that so many people have tried and failed to lose weight with. Blatantly deceptive, reactionary statements like this serve no purpose in the discussion of health and nutrition. It may be hard for people like Piscatella to swallow, but livin' la vida low-carb has helped more people than he'd like to admit lose weight and keep it off.

Despite his criticism of the low-carb lifestyle, Piscatella says the obesity problem with children is the responsibility of parents.

"I do not blame kids for being overweight, diabetic or having high cholesterol," Piscatella said. "There's not a 6-year-old in this country who ever drove himself to McDonald's."

That's an excellent point that needs to be stressed even more. But how can we teach our kids about good nutrition and healthy eating habits if we don't arm their parents with the whole truth about what is "good for you" and what is not? The education process regarding health and nutrition needs to include the truth about low-carb eating, not just rhetoric from those who oppose it.

The Official Response From Seattle Sutton's Corporate Headquarters

After receiving a couple of responses from the Minnesota and Michigan franchisees for Seattle Sutton's (UN)Healthy Eating, I've finally heard back from the Communications Director April Stevens with the official response to my concerns regarding their ridicule of the low-carb lifestyle as a healthy alternative to the low-fat/low-calorie diets.

Here's what I received:

Dear Mr. Moore:

I write in response to your comments about our company's attitude about the low carb diet. Simply put, we do not agree with the low carb precepts. We think it is a fad diet which may not serve its adherents well in the long term. Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating believes healthy, balanced, scientifically-based, portion-controlled meals are the best answer. Our position is backed up by twenty years of successfully helping our clients.

April Stevens
Director of Communications
Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating

Okay, so I didn't expect them to explain themselves any more than this, but this answer still leaves a lot to be desired. Why don't they agree with livin' la vida low-carb? What about it makes them think it is just a "fad diet" (how many times has that been used since Dr. Robert Atkins came on the scene with it in the early 1970s?) and why won't they acknowledge it has helped so many achieve a healthy weight and vasty improved health?

As for the twenty-year track record of helping their clients, Atkins has an even LONGER track record of giving people a healthy, scientifically-based, carb-controlled approach to permanent weight loss. Overlooking this clear fact is not only ignorant, but dishonest. Seattle Sutton ought to be ashamed of herself for being a part of such an extreme position regarding health.

If people enjoy her meals, then that's fine and she can keep making a profit on the low-fat/low-calorie lie. But let's get one thing straight. It's a lot easier and much more satisfying to be livin' la vida low-carb than it is to be sufferin' la vida low-fat/low-calorie! Never again for me!

Low-Carb Wars Episode III: Revenge of Robert S.

It seems we've touched off a nerve in our new friend Bobby today who decides to lash back at my post about his extreme radical anti-Atkins, low-calorie supporting views. I'm not even gonna comment on this because I have already said everything that needed to be said about it in my post on Sunday.

But, for your entertainment and amusement, here is his latest rant:

Well, well, well, Jimbo. Is that the best you can do? WAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

First of all, I'm not advocating a low-fat, low-calorie diet. I'm not advocating avoiding or not avoiding any macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates, fats). I'm not advocating losing or gaining weight. I'm not advocating explicity counting calories. I'm just saying that IF someone loses weight over a period of time, THEN they have consumed less energy (which we measure in calories) than they expended. IF someone gains weight over a period of time, THEN they have consumed more energy than they expended. IF someone maintains a constant weight, THEN they have consumed the precise amount of energy that they have expended.

It's true in the human diet, and it's true in any self-contained physical system. It's the second law of thermodynamics. It's why you can't make a perpetual motion machine.

The studies you cited don't purport to prove the preceding wrong, so you evidently didn't understand my point in the first place. For instance, the first study compared a low-carb diet OF NO DEFINED NUMBER OF CALORIES, with a low-fat diet of from 1,200-1,800 calories per day (depending on the person). The missing data points here: (1) How many calories did the low-carbers eat? D'oh! We forgot to track that! (2) What was the average energy expenditure (basal metabolism plus daily activity) for EACH group over the period of time? D'oh! Forgot that too!

We need to know the calories consumed by each group and the calorie expenditure of each group to figure out each group's calorie deficit, which will then give us the anticipated number of pounds that should be lost. This of course would need to be adjusted to take account of edema and water loss.

I'm not saying that the Atkins diet doesn't "work." I'm saying that the method by which it works is by, at the end of the day, somehow getting you to put fewer
calories in your mouth than you are using, whether or not you are aware of those calories, you are counting those calories, you think those calories are important or not, or you are satiated or not by those calories. So there may be a lot of psychological hocus pocus going on in Atkins that (1) motivates people to control calorie intake without counting calories, (2) keeps people feeling satiated and not denied of food, and (3) gets them to be more active and burn more calories. But at the end to the day, they are losing weight the old fashioned way: calorie deficit.

As for your weight of 230 pounds, from what you wrote you seem to be saying that you (like Michael Jordon, who I'm sure you are similar to in many respects) are misclassified by the BMI. That if somehow you lost another 50 pounds (say you were shipwrecked or something), the minute you got back to where you could eat, you would quickly scarf down as much food as possible to regain your "ideal weight" of 230 pounds, because 180 would be dangerously, unhealthily low for you? Is that what you're saying?

Can't wait for your book, Jimmy-Bud. Who's the publisher? Wait, let me guess: iUniverse.com, the vanity press preferred by 98.6% of quack diet book publishers? I just love the dense black toner from those Xerox DocuTech printers. And I hear they actually perfect-bind the books these days rather than just stapling the pages together.

ROUND TWO - Rationality: 10, Low-carb: ZIP!

Do you see what kind of idiots I have to deal with (I'm sure you know a few people like this Bobby character yourself)? Ahhhh, it's nice knowing us low-carbers treat each other with decency and respect and don't make personal attacks against anyone just because they disagree with them. It's childish and I refuse to engage in an intellectual debate with someone who cannot present some semblance of maturity.

Just like the Star Wars series, the final chapter is now in the books on this!

Utah Schoolteacher Starts Low-Carb Recipe Blog

I came across this new blog today called Kalyn's Kitchen thanks to a blog entry I read from my new friend Katherine Prouty at Low Carb Freedom.

Kalyn Denny, thanks to some technical assistance from her brother Rand, created Kalyn's Kitchen because she loved to cook low-carb and wanted a better way to distribute her recipes other than to her friends via e-mail.

She specifically followed the South Beach Diet and lost 35 pounds while increasing her energy and dropping the cholesterol medicine. WOO HOO!

I don't usually post low-carb recipes or their links on my blog because frankly everybody and their momma has their own definition of low-carb. And while I don't adhere to the South Beach way of doing low-carb, I think Kalyn has crafted some tasty treats for even the most finicky of eaters.

Most importantly, Kalyn shares in my passion about livin' la vida low-carb and wants to help reverse the "negative stereotypes" that are out there, especially in the media. Well, Kalyn, that's exactly what Livin' La Vida Low-Carb is all about! We'll keep telling the truth in this forum until everyone realizes how healthy and delicious low-carb living can be.

Ya'll (that's the Southern boy in me coming out!) go see Kalyn's Kitchen and cook yourself some vittles to try! Let me and Kalyn know what you think!

Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Article Featured In GoLower Newsletter

Do you remember that article I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a British company called Go Lower who makes these absolutely delicious nut bars that are low-carb?

They just released their May 2005 newsletter which features my story as well as ones from David Mendosa who has an web site called Diabetes Update and our friend Katherine Prouty at Low Carb Freedom who recently blogged about Livin' La Vida Low-Carb.

Go Lower wants to expand its distribution into the United States very soon. Send them an e-mail urging them to find a distributor to get these delicious and nutritious low-carb snacks into America as soon as possible.

Everyone I gave a sample of these bars to immediately fell in love with them and wanted to know how they could get them. There will be a demand for these and you will want to be one of the first to taste them for yourself.

As soon as I hear about where you can purchase these in the United States, I will let you know. In the meantime, you can order them on the Internet by clicking here.

Has anyone else tasted the Go Lower Bars yet? Let me know by leaving a comment below! They've also got brownies and ice cream that I hope to sample very soon and report to you what I think. If they're half as good as the nut bars, then I KNOW I'll love them, too!

Seattle Sutton Delivering Very Unhealthy High-Carb Meals

Eating healthy enough to lose weight can be hard to do, so let us make it easy for you.

So goes the thinking behind a place called Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating. With corporate offices in Ottawa, Illinois and delivering 6 million meals through 223 distributors in nine states, mostly in America's heartland, this business is being heralded as the next great trend in helping Americans lose weight and get healthy.

In this story that appeared in SuburbanChicagoNews.com, this new meal-delivery program was lauded and praised for offering people a convenient way to lose weight. As I was reading the article, I couldn't wait to read what this "new" plan was all about. But then I found out what it was all about in a quote from the founder herself, Seattle Sutton.

"There is no other bottom line on weight loss than how many calories you consumed versus how many you expend," she said. "The low-carb craze is over — I knew it would be."

Are you kidding me? Is she making the zero sum gain argument about calories that I just educated another low-calorie advocate about on Sunday? Yep, she sure is. Plus, she took the opportunity to get her opinion in about livin' la vida low-carb. What are these people so scared of when it comes to the healthy way of eating we have chosen as an alternative to the failed low-fat/low-calorie diets?

Sutton added in the article that people need to eat "healthy portions" while "monitoring calories" in order to lose weight. This lady just doesn't get it, does she.

Despite all its fanfare and grandeur, this is nothing more than a repackaging of the same old failed eating programs that have held Americans down for so long that most of them have just given up. Putting a worn out pair of sneakers in a pretty box with a bow on it doesn't change the fact that you're still getting old shoes. The same goes for low-fat/low-calorie diets.

The President and Founder of Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating is a registered nurse and started this business in 1985 after treating so many patients with weight problems. Describing her meal plans as "revolutionary," I couldn't help but examine the nutritional content of the foods she was serving people to see what the big deal was. Boy was I disappointed, but not surprised after her "low carb craze" comment!

According to the web site, "all meals are low in fat (30% or less of total calories), low in cholesterol (300 milligrams or less), sodium restricted, and meet guidelines established by health and nutrition experts." Uh-oh! Do we have just another low-fat/low-calorie diet on our hands? OOOOOOHHH NOOOOOOO! Not THAT again!

Even more scary was a quick perusal of the carbohydrate content of these "healthy" meals. You have the option of either the 1200 calorie or 2000 calorie plan. You know, I think I'd die if I had to restrict myself to just 1200-2000 calories a day! Yikes! But I digress.

For the 1200 calorie meal plan, there are an incredibly high 180 grams of carbohydrates! But wait, it gets a lot worse when you look at the 2000 calorie meal plan. That one has a whopping 274 grams of carbohydrates. All the while you are required to drink two glasses of fat-free milk (Have you tasted this stuff? It's like white-colored water.) and, of course, eight glasses of water per day. Hey, this isn't new! And it's NOT healthy for you either!

Sutton said in the story that she enjoys hearing diabetics ordering her meal plans because she knows she is helping them deal with their disease. But low-fat/low-calorie diets can only get diabetics to suffer through their condition. Livin' la vida low-carb can help them overcome it!

But what about the ease and convenience of having healthy meals delivered to your home?

While I'm sure it's nice to have fresh gourmet meals prepared for you daily, there's a much better company to go through than Seattle Sutton's (UN)Healthy Eating. It's called Atkins At Home. This company features absolutely scrumptious low-carb foods that will keep you on your low-carb lifestyle without the fuss of making food for yourself. You won't have to worry about staying on your program because they have plans for 20 net carbs or 40 net carbs per day depending on which phase of livin' la vida low-carb you are in. The foods you get from Atkins At Home will help you lose weight while consuming the most well-prepared and tastiest meals you'll find while doing Atkins.

Sutton said one thing in her speech to a group of senior citizens that completely applies to the low-carb lifestyle.

"The greatest asset you have in life — especially at our age — is your good health," Sutton told the senior citizens in the audience. "It's not your new car; it's not your new home; it's your health."

While her conclusion about healthy eating is dead on, it's too bad she's bought into the low-fat/low-calorie lie that continues to exist in society today.

05/30/05 UPDATE: I received the following correspondence from the Minnesota franchisee for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating today.

Good morning,

I'm sure you will receive an official response from the corporate office, but in the mean time, perhaps I can offer a little more background on the company and its philosophy.

Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating has actually been in business for 20 years. Its roots are in the Chicago area, however, in recent years it has expanded into a number of other major markets including Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and St. Louis. The company has tens of thousands of documented cases of dramatic weight loss and health improvements from clients as a result of being on the plan.

While there are many schools of thought in the nutrition world, Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating chooses to follow some specific nutritional guidelines as presented by a number of health and nutrition experts including the American Heart Association, American Dietetic and American Diabetes Associations. These guidelines include a recommended balance between the three forms of nutrients that you're obviously well aware of: protein, carbs, and fat, in addition to being low-fat, low-saturated fat, low cholesterol, calorie controlled, and sodium restricted. The guidelines of this plan have provided success to hundreds of thousands of clients over the years.

As I mentioned, while there are many different schools of thought about nutrition, the above are the guidelines that have proven successful for our clients. If you'd like to read for yourself some of the personal testimonials from our clients, please visit our web site at www.seattlesutton.com.

I'm glad to read that the low-carb lifestyle has been effective and successful for you personally. My personal hope is for every individual to find a nutritional plan that works for them, and to maintain it for a lifestyle of good health!

Thank you again for your e-mail.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Keegan
Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating of MN
11255 Highway 55
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-545-9590
www.seattlesutton.com

Here is my follow-up response to her addressing my original concerns with Seattle Sutton's comments about low-carb:

Dear Ms. Keegan,

Thank you for responding to my blog post about Seattle Sutton. I too often encourage people to get healthy in the best way they can find. For me it was low-carb, but for others it could be something else.

However, my concern is with the leader of your organization openly ridiculing the way of eating that tens of millions of people just like me have chosen to lose weight and restore their health. If Seattle Sutton really believes that people can do any weight loss method they choose as long as they stick to it, then why did she make the flippant remark about low-carb? I didn't hear her make the same kind of comments about Weight Watchers or Slim-Fast, for example.

While I appreciate the earnest and genuine concern that you have for your customer's health as a franchisee of Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, I think you should be quite alarmed by the ill-advised statements coming from your corporate head. She ought to be ashamed of herself for mocking a healthy eating lifestyle such as low-carb.

Thank you very much for your response. I await the 'official' response from your corporate headquarters soon.

Jimmy Moore, 'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man'
Spartanburg, SC
musicbuyer@aol.com
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com

We'll let you know if we hear anything from any other franchisees or from the corporate offices for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating.

05/31/2005 UPDATE: We heard from another foot soldier for Seattle Sutton, this time from the state of Michigan. Here is what he wrote us:

Dear Mr. Moore,

The bottom line in weight loss is, in fact, calorie intake vs. calories expended. Creating a calorie deficit is the only proven way to lose weight. One way or another, every successful diet plan – even Atkins – accomplishes weight loss by reducing calories.

A good composite article written by Kathy Goodwin, R.D. can be found here http://www.thedietchannel.com/atkins.htm. In the article, she references several studies and authorities on health, nutrition and weight loss.

Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating has helped tens of thousands of people lose weight over the last twenty years by providing the variety of foods recommended by health and nutrition experts including The American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, The American Diabetes Association and others. The right variety of proteins, carbs and fats, in the right quantities, is the key to weight loss and long term health benefits.

Wallace Duvall
Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating of Michigan
Sterling Heights, MI 48313

And here is my response back:

Dear Mr. Duvall,

Thank you for your response. But I vehemently disagree with your premise that there is only one "proven way to lose weight." While you can absolutely lose weight by reducing your calories and fat, it's not the only way. The low-carb approach has helped me as well as tens of millions of other people find a deliciously-satisfying way to lose weight and, most importantly, keep it off as long as we adhere to the program.

To suggest the old notion that weight loss only occurs by creating a "calorie deficit" has been proven otherwise with the success of programs like Atkins. Not only do people livin' la vida low-carb have the opportunity to eat more calories than those on a low-fat/low-calorie diet, but the foods we can eat are much more enjoyable than the fat-free offerings that are available on your plan.

While you portion control your foods for your clients, low-carbers are allowed to eat nutritious foods in the amount that makes them feel full. This isn't rocket science and I have proven with my own weight loss success that it can be done. Call me and others who have permanently lost weight on low-carb miracles of science, but you cannot deny the fact that low-carb is another weight loss alternative to people who have not had good experiences doing low-fat/low-calorie diets.

Thank you for your response, but the president of your company has shown her ignorance of nutrition and health by refusing to acknowledge the outstanding benefits that come from a low-carb lifestyle. Even worse, she has ridiculed it and she must be held accountable for her insane statements. I look forward to hearing the response from your corporate offices very soon.

Jimmy Moore "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man"
Spartanburg, SC
musicbuyer@aol.com
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com

This latest response from the Michigan representative for Seattle Sutton confirms what I expected: Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating is nothing more than yet another low-calorie/low-fat advocacy group who loathes anything and everything to do with low-carb. That's a real shame because we know there are alternatives that really work.

I still haven't heard from the head honcho yet. I'll update you if I do!

Doctor Claims Blood Sugar, Not Cholesterol Linked To Heart Disease

Dr. Ron Rosedale, a nationally known and respected expert on nutrition and health especially in regards to diabetes, has penned an article at Mercola.com which claims a person's blood sugar and not his cholesterol make him more likely to develop heart disease. This is groundbreaking material if you will examine this data he presents for yourself and should be on the front page of every newspaper, magazine and web site in the United States!

Dr. Rosedale has already written a book entitled The Rosedale Diet which advocates healthy low-carb eating with vitamin supplements and no prescription drugs to eliminate the need for insulin and to help prevent or significantly reduce the chances for heart disease.

In his article, "Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease," Dr. Rosedale states the longstanding notion that high cholesterol plays a role in heart disease is false. He explains that inflammation of the arteries can occur when cholesterol becomes oxidized and that the inflammation should be addressed, not the cholesterol itself. I love this analogy he used to make his point:

"Using the same conventional medical thinking that is being used for cholesterol would lead one to believe that doctors should reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by taking out everybody's brain."

Yep, that'll solve the problem with Alzheimer's, won't it?! I'll have to use this one sometime!

Dr. Rosedale said the REAL cause of heart disease can be found in that innocent of all substances we consume on a daily basis -- SUGAR! He believes through his scientific studies that they "inflict on tissues, including the lining of arteries, causing chronic inflammation and resultant plaque." EWWW! He adds that this can cause some "cholesterol abnormalities" that make it appear than cholesterol is the culprit in the damage when in fact it is the sugar in the blood. Hmmmm.

The focus on the total cholesterol number is useless, Dr. Rosedale asserts because so-called LDL "bad" cholesterol can still "squeeze between the cells lining the inside of the arteries."

We've always been told to get our "bad" cholesterol number down so we don't clog our arteries. But Dr. Rosedale believes his studies have shown that "cholesterol does not cause heart disease, but improper metabolic signals including improper signals to cholesterol (causing it to oxidize) and perhaps to the liver that manufactures the cholesterol, will cause heart and vascular disease and hypertension."

Therefore, we should be looking at other possible causes for heart disease other than cholesterol. Dr. Rosedale reveals that getting rid of cholesterol (which he describes as the "Darth Vader" of what most people consider good heart health) will not solve the problem with heart disease and other health problems. He is especially critical of "statin" drugs like Lipitor and Crestor as nothing more than a way for drug companies to fatten their pockets (to the tune of $26 billion!) at the expense of scaring the public into lowering their cholesterol. He backs up that claim with some interesting associations that may make you wonder. Always follow the money!

Actually, Dr. Mercola said that lowering cholesterol "might not be as healthy as we are being told."

"More and more studies are coming out showing just how unhealthy lowering cholesterol might be, particularly by the use of statin drugs. In particular, statin drugs have been shown to be harmful to muscles causing considerable damage. A common symptom of this damage is muscular aches and pains that many patients experience on cholesterol-lowering drugs, however most do not realize that these drugs are to blame."

I used to take Lipitor and can attest that it caused so much pain in my joints that I had to stop taking it. I injured my thumb playing basketball because the muscles were so weak in that hand from taking the Lipitor. My chiropracter called it POISON and urged me to get off of it. So I did. I then turned to Crestor and did not have the same side effects. Maybe Dr. Mercola's findings will blow a hole wide open in this argument that we need "statin" drugs to be normal. What if it's all been a big lie?!

But he doesn't stop there. Dr. Rosedale said LOW cholesterol can actually "worsen patients with congestive heart failure, a life-threatening condition where the heart becomes too weak to effectively pump blood." YIKES!

"Statin drugs have been shown to also cause nerve damage and to greatly impair memory. One reason that statin drugs have these various serious side effects is that they work by inhibiting a vital enzyme that manufactures cholesterol in the liver. However, the same enzyme is used to manufacture coenzyme Q10, which is a biochemical needed to transfer energy from food to our cells to be used for the work of staying alive and healthy. Statin drugs are known to inhibit our very important production of coenzyme Q10. Importantly, while many cardiologists insist that lowering cholesterol is correlated with a reduction in the risk of heart attacks; few can say that there is a reduction in the risk of mortality (death). That has been much harder to show. In other words it has never been conclusively shown that lowering cholesterol saves lives. In fact, several large studies have shown that lowering cholesterol into the range currently recommended is correlated with an increased risk of dying, especially of cancer."

Now doesn't that throw a monkey wrench into everything you've ever known about cholesterol! So what are we supposed to believe? Is cholesterol good for us or not? Dr. Rosedale said there's no such thing as "good" and "bad" cholesterol because it's all "just cholesterol" which is carried through the blood.

In making his point, Dr. Rosedale presents another great analogy for people to understand what he is saying:

"There may be a weak correlation of elevated cholesterol with heart attacks, however this does not mean it is the cholesterol that caused the heart attack. Certainly gray hair is correlated with getting older; however one could hardly say that the gray hair caused one to get old. Using hair dye to reduce the gray hair would not really make you any younger. Neither it appears would just lowering your cholesterol.

Excellent! We automatically assume high cholesterol causes heart attacks, but why? Did one cause the other or is that what we assume because that's what we've always been told? Maybe Dr. Rosedale is on to something here we need to examine a bit further.

In fact, Dr. Rosedale goes so far as to describe cholesterol as the body's "hero" because it helps "to keep your cell membranes from falling apart" as a kind of cell "superglue."

"It is a necessary ingredient in any sort of cellular repair. The coronary disease associated with heart attacks is now known to be caused from damage to the lining of those arteries. That damage causes inflammation. The coronary disease that causes heart attacks is now considered to be caused mostly from chronic inflammation."

So it appears we've been lied to all these years when we've been told that cholesterol causes heart disease. Instead, it's the inflammation that causes the problems as the body attempts to repair the damage to the lining of the arteries. Rather than taking highly expensive "statin" drugs, Dr. Rosedale said you can take an aspirin, vitamin E and fish oil supplments, and make certain dietary changes to reverse the inflammation and prevent the heart problems from occuring.

Finally, on the subject of triglycerides, Dr. Rosedale said they are nothing more than the fat that flows through the bloodstream. If your body is producing too much fat that isn't being burned off for energy, then your triglycerides will go up and "this indeed is a major problem."

"The inability to burn fat underlies virtually all of the chronic diseases of aging, and in fact may contribute to the rate of aging itself. As such, one might think that the control [of] all fat burning and storage might be very important in heart disease, and the other diseases of aging such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Indeed, this appears to very much be the case."

And guess what kind of eating plan gets your body into fat-burning mode the best. It's livin' la vida low-carb, of course! And since sugar is such a problem when it comes to heart disease, the lack of it in your low-carb lifestyle means your heart will be healthy for a very long time. This is solid proof that the low-carb lifestyle really is the healthy alternative to low-fat I'm always hammering. THANK YOU, DR. ROSEDALE! You have done a great service for the low-carb community and for the sake of good health for anyone willing to heed your scientific advice!

E-mail Dr. Rosedale to thank him for his thorough research on this important subject and to continue to stand strong in the face of strong opposition.

Low-Calorie Advocate Fails In His Attempt To Discredit Low-Carb

Well, well, well, I wondering how long it was going to take until something like this happened.

After reading my blog entry entitled Sioux Falls Health Reporter Should Do Her Homework On Low-Carb on Saturday, an eager reader named "Robert S." felt compelled to respond and challenge me (or more like POUNCE on me!) on my premise that the low-carb lifestyle really is an easy and effective to lose weight and keep it off. Oh, this ought to be fun!

"You seem to be claiming that a cutting out carbs is a completely independent way of losing weight, not related to creating a calorie deficit. In other words, as long as you don't eat carbs, you can eat whatever you want in whatever quantities you want. For example, you could eat 30,000 calories of fatty meat a day and lose weight, because calories have nothing whatsoever to do with it. Is that what you're claiming? Are you aware the Atkins people don't even claim that? Can you provode a source that supports this claim? (Preferably not a blog.)

Okay, before you do anything else, I think you need to get down off your high horse for just a minute and stop hyperbolizing this. It does nothing for your credibility as an intelligent thinker and is not conducive to a civil conversation about any topic. With that said, let me address your concerns.

First, I have never advocated "cutting out carbs" completely nor have I ever told people the absurd notion "don't eat carbs." Why would you create such lies to begin your argument? As I have stated many times previously "low-carb" does NOT mean NO carb. Got it?

Second, the "calorie deficit" is something that low-fat/low-calorie diet advocates like to bring up because they think in order for the body to lose weight you have to burn off more calories that you take in. This is just not true. This study published in the Journal Watch Cardiology compared the effectiveness of both low-fat and low-carb.

The results of the study showed that not only does low-carb eating cause you to lose weight without watching your calories, but study participants lost MORE weight than their low-fat counterparts. Furthermore, the HDL "good" cholesterol of those doing low-carb saw a "marked" 18 percent increase as well as a "significantly greater 12-month reduction in triglyceride levels" (an unbelievable drop of 28 percent!) than those on a low-fat diet (whose triglycerides actually rose by 1 percent and whose HDL cholesterol level on went up a measly 3 percent!). You wanted some real scientific proof that makes the case for low-carb and there you have it. Any questions? Didn't think so.

Third, the point you make about people who are on a low-carb lifestyle thinking they can eat as much as they want of whatever they want to eat as long as the carbs are limited regardless of the calorie content is just another straw man argument. Your extreme example of "30,000 calories of fatty meat" exposes your agenda with this. It's obvious you are one of those radical vegans who opposes anything and everything that has to do with low-carb because of all the tasty, delicious, mouthwatering beef, poultry and pork we are allowed to savor while on this lifestyle.

Nevertheless, to address your point specifically, it is simply ludicrous for someone to even imagine eating THAT many calories in a day even if you weren't counting them! Again, the hyperbole is not helping your cause! But my point is that people who eat more calories on a low-carb program can and will lose more weight than those who eat less calories on a low-fat diet.

Want more scientific medical proof that I'm not just expressing my opinion? Why don't you read about a series of studies conducted by several highly respected medical research centers, including the prestigious Harvard School of Public Health. It's time you got an education about low-carb since you obviously haven't studied up well enough about it to know what you are talking about.

But Robert S. didn't stop there. He had more to say:

"Can you give us some more details about what *you* actually ate, and in what quantities? From the information on your web site, you would have had daily caloric needs of about 4,750 calories when you started, and your current caloric needs are about 3,300. In addition, your first one to three month's loss could be partially explained by the edema that many severely obese people have. Quick weight loss in the beginning can be explained by the water loss associated with edema. Did you have a medical checkup before you started your diet regime?"

If you want to find out exactly what I ate (and still eat today) on my low-carb lifestyle, then you will have to buy my book called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" that will be released in stores this Fall. Actually, though, I have already shared in previous posts some of the foods I have eaten. But, to be honest, since I haven't counted calories while doing this I couldn't tell you how many calories I have consumed. All I know is I have NEVER been hungry on low-carb and I get to eat a wide selection of incredible-tasting foods, unlike the options on a low-fat diet. Yuck!

As for this whole "water weight" argument, who gives a flying BLEEP what KIND of weight you lose at the beginning of your weight loss on low-carb. The point is that you are losing weight that does not belong on your body. So I guess that 80 pounds I lost in the first three months on low-carb was all water, huh? LOL! That's okay with me because whether it was water or fat (and I contend it was BOTH!), it was weight loss that needed to happen. And I'm glad it did because it motivated me on to lose an additional 100 pounds. This factor should not be underestimated with any weight loss program. The key is to start doing SOMETHING about your weight before it is too late.

And, yes, Bobby boy, I paid a visit to my doctor before starting Atkins. Again, you're gonna have to read my book if you want to know what he said to me, but let's just say the health numbers weren't too pretty before I started and now they are outstanding! And while he did not like the low-carb lifestyle before I started, he's a believer now! It's funny how a real-life success story is all it takes to prove low-carb works and works very well!

"For the normal thin person, your current daily caloric needs (and my figures assume not much in the way of exercise) of 3,300 calories is a huge amount of food. I can see how you might be led to believe that you can eat anything you want with 3,300 calories to play with. To account for your one year's weight loss, you would have to have been on a somewhat restricted caloric intake diet. One explanation would be a starting caloric intake of 1,200 or so calories (or up to several hundred calories more, depending on edema and exercise) rising to 3,300 calories at the end. Again, why don't you post sample daily menus of what you actually typically ate. There's some non 'pseudo-science' 'empirical' research you could contribute to the discussion."

Oooooooh, testy, testy, are we? The snobiness of this Robert character is so transparent. But, let's look at his silly statements to learn some lessons about low-carb. I have said it before and I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face, but I have never counted calories on low-carb. You just don't have to do it. Let me say it again in case you weren't paying attention. YOU DON'T HAVE TO COUNT CALORIES ON LOW-CARB! You don't, you just don't. I never have and I never will. What you do count is carbohydrates and you keep them at a level where your body can remain in ketosis for further weight loss and/or weight maintenance.

Since you like to have scientific proof, here's yet another study that makes my point for me. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study found that people who follow a low-carb plan actually volunteered to reduce their calorie intake because they were so satisfied with the food choices that kept them full longer than low-fat diets. And therin lies the source of jealously for people like Robert and his low-fat friends. They are disgusted that we low-carbers get to eat tender juicy steaks while they have to suck on rabbit food with gross fat free dressings all the time. I'd be ornery if that's all I had to eat, too! So this has very little to do with the calorie debate and more to do with what we get to eat. All I can say is, GET OVER IT and start livin' la vida low-carb for yourself if you want what we've got!

And, one last time, if you want my menus, you're gonna have to buy my book. Sorry! :)

"The bottom line: you lose weight because you eat fewer calories than you burn. Diets work because in some way they manage to motivate people to eat fewer calories than they burn. Atkins may do this by requiring food that, in large quantities, tends to be somewhat gross (like bacon), or somewhat expensive. In addition, true believers get psyched up about their diet systems and that can inhibit calorie intake.

Oh, there's a "bottom line." I guess that means he doesn't have much else to say and he's gonna recap everything he's already said all over again. And that's exactly what he did. Since I've already addressed the calories argument above, let me address his snide comments about Atkins. So it's all just some mind-game conspiracy on the part of Atkins to fool people into eating less calories, eh Bobby? Have you ever eaten a big plate of bacon before? It's anything but gross. It is absolutely delicious as you take in bite after delicious bite of the most incredible foods. Okay, wake me up because I'm craving bacon now! LOL!

And while it is not cheap to do the low-carb lifestyle, I know I am saving a lot of money on health care costs I will not incur now that I am healthy. Finally, what's wrong with getting "psyched up" about losing weight? That is the ultimate goal, right, so you can make it happen and then keep it off over the long-term? Who cares that it took low-carb to get you to a healthy weight, the point is to get to that healthy weight!

"By the way, the TV reporter's reference to fat was not a claim that fat has some sort of mystical properties related to weight gain; just that fat has 9 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates, so it's easier to lose weight (or let your diet get out of control) if you don't pay attention to fat relative to the other two."

Me thinks Robert was asked by the television reporter to defend her since she didn't have the guts to do it herself. It is a little bit coincidental that within hours after sending my blog entry to her I get this diatribe from Robert. Hmmmm?

As for the "fat has 9 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates" argument, who cares?! I have told you I don't count calories, so I really don't care a bit in the world about it. Is that so hard to understand or do I need to make it in another language. All I know is I eat a whole lotta fat in the foods I eat and I still was able to lose 180 pounds and have kept it off very nicely thank you very much. What more could I ask for?

The answer to the question is in the last question our pal Bobby presents to me:

"Finally, your weight still puts you in the 'obese' BMI category (unless you are 7 feet tall). Why not lose the rest, if low carb is so simple?"

I addressed the BMI index issue in this article I wrote in January 2005. Let me quote from that article:

"According to the National Institutes of Health Body Mass Index Calculator, my current BMI is 29.4 (235 pounds at 6'3"), which puts me on the borderline between being obese and overweight. Of course, this is down nearly 22 points from the 51.2 percent BMI I had when I was 410 pounds! But this standard for measuring body fat unnecessarily creates an obesity crisis where one should not exist.

In order for me to be considered a 'normal' weight according to the BMI index, I would need to weigh between 175-190. Expecting me to be in that weight range is just plain silly! As skinny as I have gotten by losing 175 pounds over the past year, this standard would force me to lose another 50 pounds to be removed from the 'overweight' category.

Is it any wonder why two-thirds of Americans are considered 'overweight' or 'obese?' A change is needed in what classifies someone diagnosed as having a weight problem. I contend that the number of overweight people would be cut by at least half if the 'normal' weight was more in line with reality."

We all like to point out that two-thirds of Americans have an issue with weight. I do it because it makes a great point that a lot of people need to get serious about bringing their weight under control before it is too late. If that's what it takes, then that's what needs to be said.

But does anyone who is "normal" really fall into their BMI category? According to BMI, Michael Jordan is obese, Russell Crowe is obese, Tom Cruise is obese, need I go on? There are plenty more! The point is BMI is bunk. It's not a good indicator or your ideal weight. I think it is about 20 percent lower than it should be for each category.

Other factors also have an effect on BMI, including height, age, exercise routine, muscular build, etc. It is virtually impossible to think BMI can factor in all of that and pop out an accurate weight for everyone. But I have no intentions of "losing the rest" as Robert suggests. With that said, I haven't stopped eating the way that got me thin. Low-carb is still my choice. By the way, since I wrote that article 5 months ago, my body fat has dropped from 29.4 down to 24.6 with another five pound reduction in my weight. My work outs are shaping my body into the physical specimen I want it to be. YEAH, BABY!

I guess I could ostensibly cut back on my carbs even more and get down to that disgusting 170 pounds for my big-boned 6'3" body, but I'd prefer to remain the healthy ox I am today. It is VERY easy to do for anyone who is willing to ignore alarmists like Bobby who obviously hasn't studied up enough about low-carb himself to even make an intelligent enough argument against it!

Nice try, Bobby, but you didn't convince anyone with your tall tales today! Next time you wanna pick a fight, why don't you come out from behind the shadows and tell the whole world who you REALLY are rather than pretending to be something other than the anti-Atkins person you are?!

ROUND ONE - Low-carb: 1 Low-fat: ZIP!

Do You Work Out?

The coolest thing just happened to me when I went out to eat at my favorite local restaurant for supper tonight. I had a new server who did not know about my 180-pound weight loss success last year like the other employees there and he said something to me that literally blew me away.

"Do you work out?" he asked unprompted. I explained that actually I do and started lifting weights three months ago along with cardio workouts for a year and a half.

"Well, I can tell you are very healthy. I knew you had to work out," he added.

WOW! Somebody who didn't even know about my weight loss and exercise routine actually complimented me on how GOOD I looked physically. Do you realize how incredibly energizing that is to hear, especially from someone who has nothing to gain from saying it?!

I have been hitting the weights pretty hard for the past 12 weeks and I knew the hard work was paying off because of the way I look and feel -- this is the best shape I have ever been in my entire life. And it will only get better from here!

This scenario with the server reminded me of when I was losing weight in 2004 and the first time somebody asked me that golden question, "Have you lost weight?" Amazingly, did you know I had to drop 100 pounds before anybody even noticed?! That happened about five months into my low-carb lifestyle and it helped spur me on to lose another 80 pounds after that. But it did take a while for people to notice.

Don't underestimate what you are doing for your health by livin' la vida low-carb. People do notice the changes in you even if they don't always verbalize them. What you should do is keep on losing weight and getting into shape so they can't help but notice you AND let you know it!

"Do you work out?" That's just too funny! I'm gonna mark this day in my calendar as the first time in my 33 years alive that somebody actually said I was "healthy." Incredible. Unbelievable. Can you tell I'm pumped about it?!

Low Carb Freedom Creator Discovers This Blog

News about this blog is beginning to trickle across the blogosphere slowly, but surely as I discovered another low-carb blog talking about "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" today.

This time, it's "Low Carb Freedom", created by Katherine Prouty who experienced her own 50-pound low-carb weight loss over the past year or so thanks to livin' la vida low-carb. Congratulations, Katherine!

Prouty said she created "Low Carb Freedom" to help overweight adults and kids by giving them low-carb alternatives that can work long term.

Oh, I think I'm gonna like this blog already! My mission is similar inasmuch as I want to educate and encouragement people about the healthy benefits of the low-carb lifestyle. We're all in this together, so we can use all the support we can get!

She started livin' la vida low-carb after doing a lot of research about this way of eating on her own. Just like me, she expresses her own opinions about what low-carb is and seeks to impart the firsthand knowledge she has about low-carb on those who read her blog.

Something else me and Prouty have in common is politics. As a political science major in college, my passion for the subject is almost as strong as it is for low-carb right now. I really like the comparison she makes about the impact of low-carb bloggers on health with the political bloggers on the mainstream media.

"I hope that the nutritional establishment will meet the same challenge that the journalism establishment is now meeting with bloggers -- and that both establishments will be better for it."

All I can say is, AMEN TO THAT! If you are a regular reader at "Low Carb Freedom," then kick off your shoes and make yourself at home here in this forum. We welcome your comments anytime and I value your readership as I seek to bring you the best low-carb news and commentary that I possibly can.

Be sure to browse around for a while and let me know what you think!

The information on "Low Carb Freedom" is invaluable to people doing low-carb. While I offer my opinions responding to the daily barrage of criticism about low-carb that comes from the media on a daily basis, Prouty chooses to offer incredibly practical advice and suggestions about how to do the low-carb lifestyle better. Both of our blogs complement each other very nicely because we are active bloggers who update several times a day.

I have added "Low Carb Freedom" to my list of Low-Carb Links for your convenience. Be sure you visit there often and tell Prouty "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man" sent you! :-)

Sioux Falls Health Reporter Should Do Her Homework On Low-Carb

This health report from KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, South Dakota makes a lot of assumptions about the low-carb lifestyle that have no bearing whatsoever on how well it helps you lose weight.

The segment was conducted by a woman named Jaine Andrews, an award-winning medical reporter for KELO who focuses on the latest health news. She uses her experience as a nationally-registered EMT-B to educate her television audience with the information they need regarding health and nutrition.

Unfortunately, Andrews apparently did not do her homework before airing this particular health story highly critical of the low-carb lifestyle.

She states in her piece that people who have been successful on low-carb over the long-term have actually learned to limit their fat and calories.

"If you've been watching someone quickly shed pounds on a low-carb diet, it's easy to assume that foods low in carbohydrates are also low in calories," she explained. "But doctors say that's not necessarily true. In fact, regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed that way limiting fat rather than carbohydrates."

I'm sorry, Ms. Andrews, but that's just plain wrong information. As someone who has been on a low-carb lifestyle since January 1, 2004 starting out at a very unhealthy 410 pounds, I have been consuming more calories and much more fat than I have ever done on any diet plan in my entire life. After shedding 180 pounds in about a year, I have continued to eat a lot of fat and calories while watching my carb intake to maintain my weight loss over the past six months.

There is no correlation between low-carb and low-calorie foods in any form or fashion. And nor should there be! When you are livin' la vida low-carb, you don't have to pay attention to calories or even fat grams because it is the amount of carbs you eat that will determine whether your weight loss will continue or be maintained. As long as you limit your carb intake to the level of carbs you are allowed to eat in a day without gaining weight, you should maintain your weight fine. But if you start eating more carbs than your body actually needs, there will be a simultaneous weight GAIN that will occur.

As for the "big losers" comment about keeping the weight off, I guess my 180 pounds wouldn't be classified as such since I haven't been cutting my fat intake, but rather my carb intake! That ridiculous statement from Andrews shows just how incredibly uninformed she is about the healthy benefits of a low-carb lifestyle. But she can't help it, I guess, because that's probably what she's been taught in her education about health and nutrition. But as someone who has been reporting on the topic for more than a decade, I think Andrews should start relying on her own empirical research and studies to come to better conclusions that will help her viewers know the WHOLE TRUTH about the health opportunities available to them.

Quoting a local bariatric clinic doctor, Andrews said these findings about low-carb strengthen reports that their popularity has diminished and are not meant for long-term weight loss.

"What happens is they go through the diet and they lose a little bit of weight," the bariatric doctor told Andrews. "They get off the diet because these diets are not diets that you can live on forever. These are very restrictive diets in one way or another and, you know once they get off the diet their weight zooms right back up because they haven't learned how to keep the weight permanently off."

What's so hard about staying on low-carb? I have personally found it to be the easiest, best-tasting "diet" I have ever done in my entire life. Sure, you give up a few things that are detrimental to your health such as sugar and white flour. But, oh my goodness, look at all the delicious, mouthwatering choices you have at your fingertips when it's time to eat! Restrictive? Hardly. But a low-fat diet is about the hardest diet you could ever do because the choices are a lot more limited on that plan than any other.

As for getting off the low-carb program, of course you'll gain back the weight. But I contend there are millions of people just like me who have made this our permanent way of eating. Livin' la vida low-carb isn't just some fad we're doing for the sake of losing a few pounds and then going back to "normal" eating. We see low-carb as a way of life that we will do for the rest of our lives. We don't need any experts telling us it is wrong for us when all we have seen is tremendous and permanent success.

Supposedly a ten-year study by the National Weight Control Registry found that most people who have lost at least 30 pounds or more and kept it off for a year did it on a low-fat diet.

If that's the case for most people, then more power to them! But don't tell me sustained weight loss cannot be done using the low-carb approach. I'm just one of many who are living proof that this lifestyle works and works very well in the long-term.

"According to one researcher, most of the dieters who continued eating low-carb managed to eat enough calories to re-gain the weight."

What?! That's a bunch of psuedo-science, psycho-babble malarky! There is no evidence that shows low-carbers gain back their weight because they continued to eat more calories than they would on a low-fat plan. I've said it already, but I'll say it again. You don't count calories on low-carb. You just don't! As long as you keep your carb intake controlled, you will maintain your weight loss or even continue losing weight. Stating that low-carbers will start packing on the pounds eating the same way they lost the weight is just fearmongering by those opposed to this healthy alternative way of eating we have chosen.

Interestingly, the National Weight Control Registry is looking for anyone who has lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year. I signed up for the registry today since I lost 30 pounds in my first month on low-carb in January 2004. I think you could count my losing another 150 pounds as "keeping it off! :-) They are supposed to check in with you periodically to see if the weight loss has been maintained. I know it will for me as long as I keep on livin' la vida low-carb!

How about all of us who have been successful on low-carb signing up for this registry and prove to them that their findings are grossly inaccurate and obviously not based on real people who are making low-carb their lifestyle of choice?! Sign up by clicking here.

And as for Andrews, why don't you drop her an e-mail urging her to report the truth about the effectiveness of low-carb instead of heralding the failed low-fat/low-calorie weight loss diets! Tell her to study more about low-carb so she can better inform her viewers of the amazing weight loss and health benefits it has to offer them.

'Diet King' Speaks Candidly About Obesity And Weight Loss

A book review of Diet King by Adam Wilk

Have you ever wondered what really goes on in the mind of a fat person? Well, for two-thirds of Americans, we don't have to wonder because we are either overweight or obese. Most of us could probably tell some real wing-ding stories about our struggles with weight problems and our meager attempts trying just about every diet that's ever been invented!

But thanks to an unknown, yet extremely talented fiction writer from Bayside, New York named Adam Wilk, we are privileged to catch just a glimpse of what the life of a food addict attempting to make himself "normal" again by losing weight looks like. The book is called Diet King.

Never before have I ever read a fiction novel that caused me to become so enthralled with the characters as I did with this book! It was as if Wilk was so deeply involved in the story that he was actually talking about his own life. And, if you read his web site, that's exactly what he did. This incredibly revealing look at the life of Peter Wells is actually an autobiographical story of Wilk's own life.

The raw emotion and blunt conversations that take place between the characters draws you into the story. It's a little bit like what lured so many of us to watch "Everybody Loves Raymond" over the past nine years. You wanted to see a little bit of your own family in the Barones because you could relate with their life's experiences. Wilk does the same in Diet King.

The thirteen chapters are a chronological snapshot of what happened in the life of Peter Wells as he was growing up, from the time he was a scrawny little kid until he becomes the weight-obsessed adult we see in the mirror everyday. As you are reading this book, you will find yourself caught up in Peter's life and cheering him on to make the right choices, especially in regards to his weight. And the book outlines some of the reasons why Peter (and us, too!) got to be overweight in the first place.

Peter ate lots of fast food as a kid. It was cheap and convenient for his parents and they ate it a lot. When you're just a child, you don't care about what you eat as long as it tastes good. You are completely oblivious to becoming overweight or obese.

Yet, Peter took that to the next level when he was a 56-pound little runt in elementary school and made fun of a classmate who weighed over 100 pounds. Those biting comments about one of his friends would come back to haunt him as he grew older and wider himself.

Constantly eating cookies, drinking lots of Coke, and loathing gym class, Peter started gaining a lot of weight. He started having a self-image problem that made him depressed, which, in turn, made him want to stuff his face with donuts. The vicious cycle of overeating had officially begun in Peter's life as he questioned what was wrong with him.

As he continued to grow older in his teenage years, Peter would often eat pizza and Chinese food like it was going out of style. He would look at diet plans, such as hypnosis to overcome food phobias and support meetings, as quacks. Besides, he rationalized in his own mind, he wasn't that big and didn't need to go to the extreme of a diet.

But the frustration of seeing the weight continue to pour on his body caused Peter even bigger problems when he started becoming interested in girls. While he was still stuffing his face with cupcakes, fruit pies, chocolate chip cookies, milkshakes, burgers and fries while watch television, his love life was suffering because the girls who were interested in Peter were very concerned about his health. This caused him to become angry, start talking to himself and, eventually, start eating to comfort himself. Is any of this sounding familiar anyone yet?

Our main character became so obsessed with food that he couldn't stop talking about it with other people who were also food fanatics. Peter surmised in his own mind that he must have been born to be fat, so what's the use in trying to diet. And the whole world laughs at you anyway, why try to lose weight? This is when Peter, just like so many real-life overweight people, just gives up and doesn't care about what other people think of him anymore.

Gaining 20 pounds a year, Peter got depressed and desperate to get out of this hole he had dug for himself. He had experienced those embarrassing moments that fat people go through and enough was enough. He had to do something to get his weight under control. So he went on a diet. Actually several diets.

After his doctor saw his cholesterol and weight go way up, Peter tried diet pills, but they caused him to have excessive gas all the time. He then tried low-carb after educating himself about it. Despite enormous pressure from his family that low-carb was bad for him, Peter stuck with it and saw tremendous success. But the constant nagging got to be too much for Peter and he gave up low-carb, too. Then he saw an infomercial for a miracle weight loss product and was disappointed to find that he had to complement the product with a low-fat/low-calorie diet.

In the end, Peter realizes he just needs to be content with life and enjoy it while he can rather than worrying about the next diet plan that floods the market. That's comforting advice from a former overweight person. I say former because on the front cover of the Diet King book is a picture of Adam Wilk with his fists raised high in triumph over his weight problem now that he has chosen a lifestyle that helps him maintain a comfortable weight.

While Peter was on low-carb, he discovered continental breakfast bars suck because you can't find anything to eat on them and nearly everything at a wedding party is loaded with carbs. But he also had to endure the usual complaints from people who describe it as a "crazy" diet plan that has to constantly be explained to people. I find that to be exactly what I go through in my own life with low-carb. Nobody views it as a great diet, but rather a dangerous one. Sigh. That's just something those of us who are livin' la vida low-carb have to live with.

Towards the end of the story, Peter begins feeling a burden for his father who is having health complications from his weight problem. He wants to help his father because he loves them. That's what our families want to do for us, too. While their comments about our weight could be viewed as judgmental, we should thank them for loving us enough to help us with our problem.

If I had to say anything critical about Diet King, it would have to be the use of the "f", "s" and both "d" words excessively throughout the book. If you are sensitive to that kind of foul language, then you might not want to read this book. Don't complain to me that you haven't been warned.

But if you can allow the use of those words to bring just a little more realism to the story, then I think you will understand the message that Wilk has so beautifully laid out for us all to enjoy in Diet King.

Click here to order your own copy of this fascinating new fiction book!

If you like what you read in Diet King, then make sure you check out the Diet King Blog for more random thoughts from Adam Wilk!

Australian Scientists Find Eating Low-Carb Guarantees Permanent Weight Loss

If there was a weight loss program that could guarantee you would lose weight, would you do it?

Of course you would!

Well, that's exactly what two Australian scientists claim regarding their "new" weight loss plan. No pills, no special foods, no nothing in the form of gimmicks. Wanna know what it is?

After conducting their own research on the various diet plans out there, these scientists found that a diet with a lot of protein, which comes primarily from beef, chicken, fish, pork and daily products, and lower in carbohydrates were found to be "significantly more successful in terms of heart health, appetite control and weight loss."

Guess what? That's exactly what livin' la vida low-carb is! These scientists basically validate our lifestyle choice through their research whether they realize it or not.

It wouldn't be a media story about health and nutrition without somebody bashing Atkins, would it? This one is no different. Lumping the Atkins diet in with other "fad diets," such as the grapefruit diet, the cellulite diet and the Pritikin diet, the story claims these only work for a limited number of people and have not had any extensive studies conducted on them to test their effectiveness.

Excuse me? Not only have a myriad of tests and research been conducted on Atkins and other low-carb diets, the findings of these two scientists prove that low-carb is the best way to lose weight, maintain weight loss and get healthy again! Are they blind to their own findings or have they become so jaded by their own bias against Atkins that they can't be intellectually honest anymore?

The research found that high-protein diets ward off hunger and even shrink blood-fat levels.

But what about the fat content in all that food you are eating on your low-carb diet? How are you supposed to burn away all that fat you consume? It's so unhealthy!

That's what the naysayers tell us. And yet these scientists find that blood-fat levels drop. Facts are facts and that's what happens. Is anyone going to challenge these Australian researchers on their findings?

And now the two researchers have caused a stir with Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council because of their research results that run counter to the dietary guidelines encouraging people to eat complex carbohydrates as part of a "healthy" diet.

Ruh-roh! Sounds like we've got a difference of opinion about what is healthy and what is not. Can you say U.S. Food Pyramid? I knew you could! The more research that is done on low-carb, the quicker we will see the myth that low-fat/low-calorie diets are the only effective weight loss methods get blown clear out of the water!

"When we start to look at individuals, we see that some people won't do as well on that dietary pattern compared to high protein," said one of the researchers. "Some people find it is easier to lose weight having less carbohydrate and more protein."

Oh happy day! At a time when people have chosen to shun low-carb, along comes a study that openly praises and practically endorses the low-carb lifestyle as the best nutritional approach for people who have failed at the low-fat/low-calorie diets. And that's a LOT of people!

Actually, these two Australian scientists have been sitting on their findings since 2003 because they didn't want it to be viewed as just another "fad" diet. In fact, neither one of them stand to profit from the book containing their research results because it will go to their research center. In other words, they had nothing to gain by endorsing the low-carb lifestyle, which makes their research all the more amazing!

Low-carbers need to celebrate the legitimacy this research brings to livin' la vida low-carb. People are always wanting real scientific proof from medial researchers about low-carb. Now you've got it thanks to the hard work of two scientists in Australia!

Follow-up E-mail From 300-Pound Atkins Weight Loss Champion

After telling you about John Smith's phenomenal 300-pound weight loss on Atkins yesterday, I decided to send him an encouraging e-mail. Here's what appears to be a standard response to my correspondence:

YESSSSS!!!

I truly want to thank you for your concern and am deeply honored that you took the time to show how much you care. You are and will be my inspiration for a long time to come.

Also, please give me a few days and I will send you an additional E-mail answering any questions to the best of my ability. In addition, you will be suprised with what I have to offer. I am a very down to earth person who also cares and I intend to prove that. Everything is just not about me. We will become onehuge family and defeat the cries, sadness, embarassments and all other things associated with being overweight. That is a promise as well as a fact. Remember this word: F.I.G.-- it will be very important as you soon will see.

Sincerely,
John W Smith-
-New Friend Forever

Ps. Never say never--No such a thing as a weight problem.

Let's say: We all have a correctible situation that will be resolved.

It looks like John may be writing a book, too! EXCELLENT! I'll let you know if I get a personal reply to my e-mail. Here's what I wrote to him on Thursday:

Dear John,

THANK YOU for sharing your weight loss success story with KSDK-TV. I am honored to have the privilege of writing to you today because you are exactly what people need to hear about the healthy alternative that the low-carb lifestyle is for people who have struggled trying to lose weight their entire lives.

You see, I too lost a lot of weight on Atkins in 2004. I went from 410 pounds down to the 230-pound healthy man that I am today. Now I'm writing a book about my 180 pound success story and I recently created a blog to help educate and encourage people who are doing the low-carb lifestyle.

I wrote a blog entry today about you and would welcome any feedback or comments you may have to share with my readers. My blog post is also reprinted at CommonVoice.com, SCHeadlines.com and is picked up by Google News.

God bless you, my friend. I am so very proud of what you have accomplished with the Atkins lifestyle. It is a decision that you will not regret. And you and I can laugh at anyone who thinks this isn't a healthy way to eat! The proof that it works is in our results. Enough said, right?

Take care and I hope to hear from you soon!

Jimmy Moore, "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man"
musicbuyer@aol.com
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com

The Worst Possible Food You Could Eat On Low-Carb

We all have our favorite foods, even those of us who are on an eating plan that other have described as "extremely restrictive."

This has always amused me because the foods choices on most other "diet" programs such as low-fat/low-calorie programs are a lot more limited in their food choices than low-carb is. Plus, the foods on low-carb are so incredibly delicious and satisfying even while you are losing weight. BONUS!

But there is one food that you should absolutely avoid completely when you are on a low-carb lifestyle (or ANY weight loss plan for that matter!). The worst possible food you could eat when you are livin' la vida low-carb is a doughnut (check out the carb content -- it'll astound you!).

Not only are they chock full of sugar and white flour, but they can be extremely addictive, too. Have you tried just eating one of these, especially when they are hot and fresh? Impossible!

As the top baked dessert in America today, it's hard to avoid this innocent-looking food that can literally destroy your low-carb progress. With doughnut shops on nearly every corner, these little morsels of carbiliciousness show up in all sorts of places -- the office, at church, at parties and even in your own home!

Don't succumb to the temptation to have even ONE of these bad boys. It's just not worth blowing your low-carb plan by giving in to this empty pleasure. Plus, you'll feel so guilty after taking one bite that you won't mind eating two or three! Why not? You've already blown it, so what's it gonna matter?

Does this sound like your rationalization for eating something like a doughnut you know you shouldn't have? It's exactly what I told myself for so many years whenever I would go on a diet. "Just this one time," I would always tell myself. What a big fat lie! This proved that I wasn't being serious about my bringing my weight under control and that's a dangerous position to be in.

Until you can make the choice to completely abandon foods such as doughnuts forever, you will never climb out of that deep pit you are in as a result of your weight problem. Make up your mind now that this is important enough for you to do that you will commit to refraining from eating anything that could derail you from achieving anything but incredible weight loss success.

Does this mean you'll never, ever get to eat a doughnut again? That really depends on you. If you can eat one every once in a while and not let it have an effect on your weight, then go for it. But most of us who have been under the heavy hand of the fat bug for our entire lives don't need to put anything in our mouths that will be detrimental to the cause. In the end, you'll never miss 'em! I sure don't!

I haven't had a doughnut in over a year and a half now. I used to be able to eat a half-dozen of them very easily. That was a whopping 200 grams of carbohydrates I was putting in my mouth! EEEK! I shudder at the thought of ever doing that again! But those days are long gone.

This story from USA Today claims that low-carb must not be working for people since doughnuts are selling as well as they ever have.

As I noted in a blog post yesterday, there is not necessarily a correlation between increased sales of carb-loaded foods and the veracity of the Atkins diet.

The media often uses this comparison, but it's an invalid argument because the two are not connected in any way. Perhaps those people who are not on a low-carb lifestyle are buying MORE doughnuts than they previously did or have started buying doughnuts now whereas they had not done so in the past. That would explain the increase, not a sudden disinterest in the low-carb way of eating!

In an interview section of the article, a doughnut expert is asked to explain why more people are eating doughnuts now than ever before even in the midst of a move to eat healthier and the popularity of the Atkins diet.

"Doughnuts represent a timeout from dietary considerations. They are not a staple; they're a treat. And sometimes, diet or not, you just have to have a doughnut."

Actually, no, not everyone must have a doughnut! Most of us low-carbers avoid them like the plague because they represent everything that's wrong with food on our new way of eating. Too much sugar and flour spells doom and danger for anyone doing low-carb. It's just not worth the trouble that will surely come from eating doughnuts.

After all, a doughnut is the worst possible food you could eat on low-carb! It's better to let others eat them while you enjoy a sugar-free dessert instead. You'll be glad you did.

Low-Carb Perfect For Those Who Failed On Weight Watchers

I got a great e-mail this week from one of my readers who said she loves "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" and comes here every single day! THANK YOU!!!

She mentioned that she is a dedicated follower of the low-carb lifestyle and will continue to eat this way for the rest of her life.

However, just like everyone else who eventually comes to low-carb, she was on the Weight Watchers program and even lost 108 pounds because of what she called "sheer willpower." LOL! I can relate. That's how I lost 170 pounds on a low-fat diet in 1999. I get into that story in much greater detail in my upcoming book.

But her concern was with something I wrote in a recent blog about a man who alleged failed on low-carb and went to Weight Watchers instead.

Here's what I wrote: "I wonder how many pizza slices and cheeseburgers they let him eat on THAT diet?! I would venture to say ZIP, ZERO, NADA!"

I was responding to that person who said he couldn't keep doing low-carb because he couldn't have pizza and cheeseburgers. But my point was that Weight Watchers wouldn't allow him to have those foods either.

That's where my reader wanted to clarify that point for me.

Here's what she wrote: "I'm only defending Weight Watchers because I wouldn't want people to accuse you of not understanding that diet the way all others trash low carb because they don't understand it. Weight Watchers says you can eat anything, you just have to account for it. I had pizza and cheeseburgers many times during my weight loss. Couldn't eat much else all day, but there you have it."

Actually, although I never did Weight Watchers myself, I am pretty familiar with their points system. I understand how it works, but the fact is that you can't eat that way everyday in the quantities that you want and still expect to lose weight. With low-carb, there are NO limitations to the amount of those products (with the minor modifications I mentioned) that you can eat.

Therefore, the person who said he missed pizza and hamburgers while he was on low-carb actually could have had as much of them he wanted on low-carb. This is in stark contrast to his Weight Watchers program, which he claims is a permanent weight loss. We shall see.

As for my reader who used to be on Weight Watchers, she said she "stayed at [her] goal weight for about an hour or two." That's too funny! But, sadly, it's true. I can certainly relate because I also felt that way after my low-fat weight loss.

She added, "After that, it was a steady climb back up the scales. I wish I had discovered low carb right then as I'm sure it would have helped me maintain the loss. I didn't gain it all back, but enough to frustrate me into trying Atkins."

We are so thickheaded about our weight problem, but eventually come to the realization that livin' la vida low-carb is the only way to permanently remove this albatross from around our necks. It may have taken us a while to get here, but we finally did it for real this time! And our lives will never be the same again!

"No more cravings, no more digestive upsets, no more dissatisfaction, and I'm always in a great mood," the reader added.

And she's right. She admits she's not yet down to where she wants to be with her weight yet, but she knows she will be "much healthier and happier than" she was on Weight Watchers.

Amen to that! I think I'll celebrate with some pizza and cheeseburgers! :-O

No More Annoying Google Ads

You may have noticed that the Google ads that used to appear across the top of this blog are gone. That was done intentionally by special request from my readers.

It seems the ads were sometimes inappropriate and did not relate to the topic of this blog. For example, ads for music downloads and creating your own blog would appear alongside low-carb and vitamin ads. Additionally, the same ads appeared day after day after day and did not update and refresh as new content was added.

As a result, I decided it was best to remove the Google ads completely from this blog to avoid frustrating my readers any further. THANK YOU for your comments!!!

I value your feedback anytime and I will take appropriate action when necessary.

"Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" is a labor of love, but I want it to be the very best low-carb blog it can possibly be! I am grateful for your devoted readership.

Increased Sales In Carb-Loaded Foods Doesn't Mean Low-Carb Is Over

This story out of Canada claims that sales of foods that are loaded with carbohydrates have been on the rise and concludes that the low-carb diet phenomenon is officially over. Yeah, so what else is new?

Statistics Canada found that sales of pasta, baked goods and cereal have increased over the past year despite the enormous popularity of Atkins and other low-carb programs.

Why does an increase in sales of foods that are loaded with carbohydrates an indication that low-carb diets are finished? Could it be that the people who AREN'T on a low-carb lifestyle are rebelling against this and eating more? Is this REALLY a good thing when you think about all the people who are going to be getting even fatter and fatter from overconsuming on excessive carbs?

The story added that these new statistics fly in the face of those who claim the low-carb diets have resulted in a lack of sales in carb-filled foods.

And they couldn't resist reporting that beef consumption fell by 4 percent in 2004. Nevermind the fact that mad-cow disease was found in Canadian cattle in Alberta in 2002! That surely wouldn't have had anything to do with it, would it?! Plus the price of beef have risen and likely drove low-carbers in Canada to start eating more chicken, pork and turkey instead.

In fact, pork and poultry consumption were up in 2004, according to Statscan.

What do these statistics mean? Probably not very much. The media's obsession with somehow creating a correlation between sales of foods with carbohydrates and the Atkins diet is just plain silly.

With at least 85 percent of people NOT doing a low-carb diet, it stands to reason that they could be buying and consuming more than they have in the past. Furthermore, some people who used to be on a low-carb diet and didn't do it right may be protesting against it by eating a lot of those foods they felt they were being deprived of when they were doing low-carb. But that doesn't mean low-carb is any less effective.

What it does mean is sometime, in the next year or two, when all of these people who are stuffing their faces with carbs balloon up to become grossly overweight and obese, they'll be running back to the low-carb lifestyle to rescue them from their bondage to food. It's a shame it will have to come to this, but such is life when you are trapped in the confusing world of weight nexus. Free yourself and start livin' la vida low-carb today or there may not be a tomorrow!

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' Attracts 5000 In First Month

Today marks one-month since I launched into the incredible world of the blogosphere. And what a month it has been!

As of today, we have had more than 5000 unique pageviews in just the past four weeks! The tremendous success of this little web site has been better than I could have ever imagined. I have received so many e-mails from people telling me how much they enjoy the blog and that they visit every single day. Almost everyone has encouraged me in ways you will never know. I only hope this forum continues to be an inspiring and educational destination for people doing the low-carb lifestyle.

THANKS for sharing in this experience with me. I have met so many new friends through this and I think I've made few new enemies from low-fat supporters! :-) Oh well, I can't help but share what's on my heart regarding the subject of low-carb because of what it has meant to me. That's what I do here every single day and in my upcoming book. I am nearing the end of the writing process and can't wait for you to read it!

If you haven't told your friends and family about "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb," then now is the perfect time to do it! The success of this blog will only continue as long as people like you see it as something of value to you personally. I put a lot of work into making your visits to this blog worth your time. And hopefully you leave a little more educated and encouraged to start or continue livin' la vida low-carb.

Feel free to contact me anytime. God bless you!